Amazon Prime Video launches globally today

Amazon has today launched its streaming service globally in “more than 200 countries”. The giant is ready to take on Netflix with shows such as 'The Grand Tour', 'Transparent' and 'The Man in the High Castle'. The price for the first six months is €2.99 / $2.99 per month.

Amazon Video goes global

Starting today Amazon will take on Netflix globally. The retail giant has expanded its streaming service to every country and gives everyone a discounted price for the first 6 months.

"You can try Amazon Prime Video for free with the 7-day trial"

- “We are excited to announce that starting today, fans around the world have access to Prime Video,” said Tim Leslie, Vice President, International, Prime Video. “The Grand Tour and other critically acclaimed Amazon Original Series like Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, and The Man in the High Castle, along with hundreds of popular Hollywood movies and TV shows, are now available at the introductory price of only 2.99 a month. And what’s really exciting is that we are just getting started.”

Amazon is producing original shows and movies that premiere on the streaming service, including ‘The Grand Tour' with the three former Top Gear hosts. You can also watch Golden Globewinners such as 'Mozart in the Jungle' and 'Transparent' as well as Emmy winners such as 'The Man in the High Castle' and 'Tumble Lea'. You can learn more about the Amazons originals.

Besides TV shows, Amazon has also started producing movies that premiere on the service shortly after the cinema. Besides originals, Amazon is also offering "hundreds of popular movies and TV shows from top networks and Hollywood studios".

- "Most Amazon Original Kids Series are also available, including the animated art-adventure Creative Galaxy, the live-action coming-of-age tale of friendship, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, and the multi Emmy Award-winning animated series, Tumble Leaf and more. Additional Amazon Original Series like Woody Allen’s Crisis in Six Scenes, David E. Kelley’s Goliath featuring Billy Bob Thornton, the docuseries American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story, as well as Sneaky Peteproduced by Bryan Cranston and Graham Yost, and starring Giovanni Ribisi, will be added to the service next year. Prime Video members can also watch hundreds of popular movies and TV shows from top networks and Hollywood studios," the company added.

On your TV, mobile device & PC

The streaming service offers subtitles in French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. The user interface is in English. Amazon offers a download feature that allows you to watch TV shows on planes and other places without data.

- ”Prime Video members can also control how much data they use when streaming and downloading video by choosing between Good, Better and Best visual quality settings, all of which utilize Amazon Prime Video’s state of the art video compression technology to use less data without reducing visual quality. Amazon Prime Video’s automated and machine learning systems will also select the best streaming configurations for a given customer based on their device, location and Internet Service Provider, providing better visual quality and fewer interruptions even when internet connection speeds are slow or highly variable,” the company added.

Amazon is offering 4K and HDR video quality in existing regions but it is not clear if the new regions have access to the best video quality.

Update: Amazon tells us that The Grand Tour is currently the only show available to stream in 4K/HDR globally. They did not comment on a timeline for the other shows.

You can sign up for a free 7-day trial here after which the service will cost you €2.99 / $2.99 per month for the first six months, and €5.99 / $5.99 after that